Wings
by BenAndGlory
Summary: AU all human. Buffy's little sister gets sick and needs to spend some time at a hospital where she meets fascinating people. A story about love, friendship, life and death.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any Buffy the Vampire Slayer character. **_

She opened her eyes to find the breeze playing with her hair. She had been laying on the green grass when she heard laughs around her, she rapidily stood up and found her mother dancing happily under a distant tree. Dawn was staring at her mother with curious eyes when she finally saw her mother's eyes fixed on her. Joyce then opened her arms and with a warm smile she invited the youngest Summers to join her.

_Come here and dance with me, Dawnie_.

As Dawn ran to her mother's embrance, she felt her heart pounding so fast that she thought she was going to stop breathing. She was so happy to see the woman that had left her a year before calling her name with a sweetness in her voice that no one else possesed. Nothing was going to stop her from reaching her mom.

Suddenly, she heard another voice screaming her name. This voice did not sound sweet at all, but it was familiar. Dawn tried to ignore it at first and kept running toward her mom. But the distance was growing larger and no matter how much effort Dawn put on running, she was not getting any closer. She fealt tears of desperation coming out of her eyes, she wanted to be with her mom so much.

Without any warning, the image of her mom, the grass and the trees started to fade and everything went blank. She opened her eyes and knew she was not longer with her mom because she couldn't see the blue sky anymore. Instead, she could see a shadow around her saying something that Dawn could not decipher. Everything was so dark, but she didn't have enough energy to be scared, so she closed her eyes hoping to see her mom again.

When she opened her eyes again she felt dizzy and it took her a few minutes to realize that she was in an ambulance. She noticed the oxygen mask on her face and the wires attached to her chest. Things that only made her more nervous. Surrounded by unfamiliar faces, Dawn felt like crying. But as the door of the ambulance was opened, she felt sister's hand touching her arm telling her that everything was going to be OK. That didn't calm Dawn though, people told her the same thing when her mom got sick.

While Dawn was being transported inside of a room, she could hear her sister arguing with someone who didn't want to let her come in. Dawn knew how stubborn her sister was to know that she was going to come with her no matter how many people try to get in her way. No one could tell Buffy what to do. So, she didn't feel surprised when Buffy appeared at the door a couple of minutes later. She looked scared and Dawn could see that she had been crying. Which made Dawn think that she was going to die. She had so many questions about what was going to happen if she died. Will Pete, the boy she had a crush on, attend to her funeral? What was going to happen to her stuff? Will Janice come to her house to borrow some clothes when Dawn's not there to tell her _no_? Will Buffy remember her after a couple of years? Will Buffy think of her at all? So many important questions that Dawn would never find the answers for. Because she would be dead and dead people don't come back to see what happened after they left. She knew that, she had been waiting for her mom to visit, but her mom never came.

The doctors kept running tests on her and Dawn could hear them talking about medical stuff that she didn't make sense. She knew it had something to do with her heart though, that was the only thing she understood. She didn't know how bad it was so she tried to get something from Buffy's facial expressions. But she wasn't lucky, Buffy was as confused as her.

After a while, Dr. Shultz, the one that Dawn classified as the "Buffy" of the group because he was bossy, ordered the nurse to take her to another room to spend the night. Then, Dr. Shultz turned to Buffy and told her to come with him. Dawn imagined Buffy's reaction when Dr. "Buffy" told her that Dawn was going to die. She didn't know if Buffy was going to be sad or relieved. Maybe both. Things hadn't been the same since their mother died and Buffy didn't pay much attention to Dawn nowadays. Buffy never shows her how much she cares anymore, she used to when they were younger. Dawn remembers how their mom used to tell them how important siblings are and how much they should love each other. Kinda ironic considering her mom and her aunt Christine hadn't talk to each other in five years when Dawnie's mom died. She wonders if that's going to happen to Buffy and Dawn someday, if she survives this of course. They already spend half of the day fighting, the rest of the time they just ignore each other. Maybe in the future, one of them is going to show up at the other's funeral looking sad. But without really knowing the person that just died. Because one can't say you know someone when you haven't seen them in five years. A lot can change in five years, Dawn knows this too well. Five years ago she was a happy girl with a mother and a sister that loved her. Now, one of them is dead and the other doesn't seem to think about her much anymore.

There was nothing special about Dawn's new hospital room. She thought the walls could use some color. Maybe if she's staying there for a long time, she can bring pictures and posters of her favorite popstars to decorate. She wanted to bring some life to the place. The beeping of her heart monitor was the only proof that there was some life in that room. Not even Dawn herself looked alive. She didn't move, she was just laying there stilled, patiently waiting for her sister. Thoughts about death swimming through her head.

She had been waiting for several minutes in her room when Buffy arrived wearing an expression that Dawn could not read. It was when she talked though that Dawn realized she had been crying again.

"Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?" said Buffy sounding uncomfortable, trying to hide the shake of her voice. Her fingers running through Dawn's hair.

_Maybe she cares_, Dawn thought. "Just tired. What happened? I don't remember". She really didn't. She had been so busy thinking about death that she made little effort to remember what had happened to her.

"I went to check on you this morning because I heard some weird noises. I found you there gasping for air. I couldn't wake you up so I called the ambulance and here we are now" Buffy explained. She was doing her best to remain calm. But the truth is, she was terrified. Only a year before, she had lost her mom. And now, it was Dawnie who was sick. She knew she hadn't been the best sister lately. She had barely spent time with her at all. Dawn was so difficult to deal with. So, she opted for the easy way out and only talked to Dawn about school related issues. She loved her sister, she really did. But she wasn't emotionally ready to be anyone's mom. She still needed hers.

"So... what's wrong with me?" What Dawn really wanted was to know if she was dying. The thought of been reunited with her mom was appealing. But she wasn't sure she was ready to die. She hadn't even been kissed by a boy.

"They're not sure yet. But they say it's your heart and you need to stay here" Buffy retorted.

"Is it serious?" Dawn asked.

"We don't know that yet. But it's probably nothing. Now you should probably rest. I'll be here, don't worry" Buffy replied, trying to comfort her little sister.

Dawn nodded. She was exhausted anyway, she would try to get something out of her sister later.

"I love you" Dawn heard Buffy saying. It made her smile. She really missed hearing those words.

"I love you too" She said after feeling her sister's lips touching her forehead.

She hadn't felt this loved since her mom was alive. So, when she closed her eyes, she dreamt of those happier times when Buffy was nice and her mother was there to make them both feel safe and loved.


	2. Chapter 2

Despite all the noises of the hospital, Dawn managed to sleep 14 hours straight. Buffy called her boss and told him she was not going to work that day. Dawn was a little afraid to spend the day alone with her sister. There was no one else to talk to there. She wished Janice was there. She didn't know how to hold a long conversation with Buffy without both of them wanting to strangle each other. So, Dawn was glad when she saw Xander walk into her room. Xander was the best friend anyone would ever want. He adored Buffy and was always there for her and Dawn. He was the kind of person that can always make you feel better. Even at the darkest times.

Xander didn't come alone. He brought his fiancee, Anya. Dawn thought Anya was a really strange woman. She was always making odd comments about money and stuff. People didn't like her, Buffy didn't seem to like her that much. But Dawn suspected she had a great heart behind those crazies ideas about evil bunnies. She figured she was like that because she was foreigner.

Dawn and Buffy really enjoyed their company. They were both so funny and Dawn thought she couldn't have asked for better visitors. Her thoughts about death were gone as soon as she saw their faces.

Xander was telling them a joke when the doctor took the youngest Summers to run some tests. Dawn's thoughts about death came flooding once more. She'd had a good day with Xander and Anya. But the stupid doctor had to come and ruin everything.

When she got back to her room, Anya and Xander were still there. But Buffy was nowhere to be seen. Minutes later, Buffy's blonde head appeared through the door. Blank expression on her face. She glanced at Dawn for a second and then asked Xander to come with her. Anya just smiled uncomfortably at Dawn. "You look pretty good in that robe. The color suits you." Anya remarked.

Dawn really liked Anya. But she didn't know how to talk to someone like her. She felt a short-lived relief when Buffy and Xander came back. Then Buffy announced that she needed to have a private conversation with her sister. She tried not to look at Dawn in the eyes until the others left. When they finally made eye contact, Dawn guessed it was bad. Her heart started pounding and felt cold sweat form in her back. She guessed that was probably the moment in which she was going to learn about her death. How was she supposed to react? Should she cry or put on her brave face?

Buffy tried to fix her face before saying something. She didn't know how was she supposed to deal with this. She was no responsible adult to take care of a sick teenager. She didn't know how to be brave for her sister. She had tried. After their mother's death, Buffy had tried to make things better. But in the end, she just wasn't what her sister deserved. Still, Dawn had no one else to care of her. She knew no one could replace her in her sister's life. She was needed. She had to be strong, no matter how imposible it seemed at the moment.

"Doctor Shultz talked to me." Buffy started saying in her shaking voice. "It's bad. They don't know exactly what's making your heart sick. But it's serious." Dawn was just staring at her, trying her best to hide her fear. Buffy paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "They say you need a heart transplant. Yours is too damaged. We don't know why you didn't show any symptomps before. But there's still time. You'll be fine." Finished Buffy with teary eyes. She hugged Dawn tightly like she never wanted to let her go. The thought of losing her only family left scared her to death.

Dawn on the other hand, felt relieved. She had been waiting to hear something worse. She imagined Buffy would tell her something like _There's nothing they can do. You have three days left. _But at least this gave her hope. Although she remembered her mother was told something similar and that didn't end well. She also wondered if she was going to feel any pain. Or if she would feel any different with a new heart.

Buffy then explained that she was going to be taken to Los Angeles the next day. The Sunnydale hospital didn't have the equipment necessary to perform a heart transplant. Buffy was going with her obviously Dr. Shultz then came to see if Dawn had any questions. She had Many. She even asked if she could keep her old heart after it was removed. Dr. Shultz wasn't so sure about that.

That night Dawn couldn't sleep. She was tired, but so many things were keeping her mind too busy to take a break. She thought about her friends at school and she wondered if she would see them again. She had called Janice from her sister's phone and she had promised her that she would keep her updated on everything that was going on at school. She was going to miss the people of Sunnydale so much. But she promised she would come back. She had to.

**Note:** I'm sorry for any grammatical mistake you might find. English is not my first language.


	3. Chapter 3

The ride to LA in the ambulance had been a torture for Dawn. Los Angeles was only two hours away from Sunnydale. But to her it felt like an eternity. She got settled into her new room which was exactly like the old one. Same issues with the lack of color. She was greeted by Dr. Burkle, a beautiful young woman with dark hair. She explained to them that Dr. Wyndam-Prize was going to perform the transplant. But she was the one that was going to monitor Dawn's condition until a donor was found. Dawn liked this woman much better than she liked Dr. Shultz. She seemed so gentle and friendly.

Dawn was left alone for a couple of hours because Buffy was staying at their cousin's apartment and they needed to make the arrangements. Faith was the same age as Buffy, but they were so different. Faith was a rebel. She worked as a bartender at a club so Dawn guessed Buffy would find her asleep even though it was past noon. Buffy on the other hand, had always been little miss perfect. Dawn wished Buffy was more like Faith sometimes. She loved her sister, but she was such a snob.

Dawn was bored out of her head when she decided to take a little tour around the hospital. She grabbed a wheelchair not only because she thought it was fun. But also because her heart was too weak and any physical activity could become a problem.

She was happily wandering around the place when she saw a boy around her age. He was on a wheelchair like her. He had blue eyes and beautiful facial features. But he had no hair. It was pretty obvious that the boy had cancer. He looked pale and weak. Dawn's smile quickly disappeared and she felt a knot form in her stomach. Here she was acting like if everything was just a game when kids her age were dealing with something so horrible like cancer. Her mom had died from cancer and Dawn was kinda glad that she didn't live enough to look like him. He seemed miserable and Dawn felt the need to say something. She cautiously moved closer to the boy who was staring out a big window. She was ready to introduce herself when the boy turned to her.

"What are you looking at?" He said glaring at her.

"I-I-I just wanted to say hi" She replied awkwardly.

"Go away stupid girl. I'm not here to make friends" said the boy furiously.

"Hey! I'm not stupid. I just wanted to be nice." Dawn complained. She felt hurt by the stranger's words. What was his problem?

"Well, I don't need your pity. Get lost" He responded.

"Whatever. You're an idiot" And with that Dawn was ready to turn around and leave. But she was interrupted by a man approaching them.

"Connor!" He yelled. "I've been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been? You're late for your chemo session."

"I'm not going. What's the point? I'm not getting any better". The boy with cancer who had been rude to Dawn replied. His look full of sadness and humilliation.

"Don't say that. Come on" The man said taking the boy away.

Dawn dropped her gaze. The scene she just had witnessed made her feel uneasy. She had been so angry at the boy a minute ago. But now her heart was aching for him again. Maybe she was right and he was an idiot. But he certainly didn't deserve that. No one did. He probably had been dealing with this for a long time. No wonder he was so angry.

Dawn was lost in her thoughts when a manly voice with a strange accent interrupted her. "Well, that was awkward". She raised her view to see a weird guy with bleached hair and a long leather coat.

"Who are you?" She inquired frowning.

"My name's William. But everyone calls me Spike." He reveled with a friendly smile.

"Spike? What a stupid nickname". Dawn commented.

"Well, I like it". He replied slightly uncomfortable. "So, what about you? Do you have a name?"

.

"I'm Dawn" She replied shaking hands.

"Nice to meet you bit." Spike said.

"Hey! Don't call me that" She told him annoyed.

"What's wrong with bit? It's cool" He argued.

"Fine." She said rolling her eyes. "I gotta go. My sister will be back soon and she'll kill me if I'm not there. Nice to meet you Spike, bye"

"See you around bit" He told her.


	4. Chapter 4

A week had passed since they had arrived to LA and the Summers sisters were desperate to get out of that place. The last three days had been a nightmare for Buffy. Her sister was grumpy and everything Buffy did or said made her angry. Buffy didn't know what else to do. She had brought Faith to lighten up the mood and it seemed to work. But as soon as their cousin left the room, her little sister went back to ignoring her. Buffy knew Dawn was tired of being there, she wanted to go home too. She wished she could take her far away from that hospital and make her feel better. But there was nothing she could do for her right now and it was making her crazy.

Buffy finally decided to give her space and take the day off to visit a friend, Cordelia, who lived in the city. Cordelia was an actress, she met Buffy at school. They were both part of the cheerleading squad of Sunnydale High. Everyone thought Cordelia was shallow and self-absorved. But she really was a good friend and tried her best to make Buffy feel better. She knew how much her friend loved her little sister and she didn't want to imagine what would happen to her if Dawn didn't make it. Buffy had went through so much already, she had broken her engagement with Riley only a couple of months before her mom died. Her dad had abandoned them years earlier and now all she had was Dawn. So, Cordelia patiently listened as her friend cried her heart out and explained her current situation. Then she took her to a spa.

Buffy felt guilty for leaving Dawn at the hospital. But she desperately needed this. Not just for herself, but for Dawn too. It was her job to be strong for her sister and take care of her. But the uncertainity of waiting for a donor and every minute she spent watching her sister suffer was killing her. So, she concentrated on getting her strenght back. She would be of no use if she had a heart attack herself. Dawn strangely had agreed and let her go without complaining. Still, Buffy would only be at the spa a couple of hours. She didn't want to leave Dawn for too long.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Dawn was quite happy. Buffy had been annoying her the last few days asking her every five seconds if she was OK. She knew her sister had the best intentions, but when you spend so much time in a room with the same person, everything becomes irritating. Plus, she felt fine. The chest pains were gone and Dawn wondered if maybe the doctors had been wrong and she didn't need a heart transplant after all.

Anyway, today it was about Dawn and her Ipod. No heart transplant talk and no exasperating big sister around. She was cheerfully singing a Britney Spears song with her earplugs on, when she saw Spike coming in.

"Have mercy on us, niblet. That was bloody terrible" He said disgusted.

"What? Were you spying on me or something?" She inquired.

"No, I was passing by. The whole hospital can hear you. You know?" He replied teasing. Dawn was blushing.

"So, this is your room. It's comfy" He observed.

"No, it's not and you know that" She replied with a certain bitterness in her voice.

"You're right. I was just trying to be nice" He said.

"So, what do you want?" Dawn asked.

"I just came to see what have you been up to" Spike said.

"Why? We're not friends." She stated.

"That actually hurt my feelings bit. I like you" He mocked.

"I don't and if my sister finds you here, she'll be mad" Dawn told him.

"Well, I don't see anybody here. Did she abandon you or something? I wouldn't blame her. You're not so pleasant" He said.

"Neither are you!" She argued.

"Oh I am so pleasant. I have plenty of friends and people who want to spend time with me." He responded offended.

"Then what are you doing here all alone?" She questioned him.

"I came to tell you about your horrible signing torturing all the patients of the hospital!" He replied furiously.

"Well, message received now go away" She said annoyed.

"Fine!" yelled Spike before storming off.

Buffy felt like a new woman. She made her way to the hospital with a smile on her face ready to face whatever obstacle they might face. Dawnie was going to be fine because Buffy would be there to hold her and be strong for her.

When she got to her little sister's room, she was welcomed by a very angry Dawn. All the strenght she had recovered that day was lost with a single phrase coming out of her sister's mouth. "You abandoned me!" Dawn exclaimed horrified. "You're the worst sister ever!" she concluded with tears in her eyes. Buffy just stood there wondering what had gone wrong.


End file.
